The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has declared a strike over the non-payment of the over GHc50 million arrears owed its members.

Speaking at a press conference today [Wednesday], President of the Association, Angel Carbonu, said the Association would no longer tolerate assurances from government.

This strike comes after previous threats in December 2017 and January 2018. “We have no other alternative but to advise ourselves. The leadership of NAGRAT resolves that all NAGRAT members at the pre-tertiary level should lay down their tools and abstain from work. When the Senior High Schools reopen on April 16, 2018, nobody should expect our members to be present.”

‘We are disgusted’

Mr. Carbonu said NAGRAT has been left frustrated and disgusted by the government’s posture in the matter of the arrears which date back to 2013.

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According to him, the government was only toying with the union.

“The disquiet among our members has reached its fever pitch over the broken promises and deceit regarding the non-payment of these areas by the government… What we see are orchestrations, tactics, maneuvering and manipulations employed by the Ministry of Finance and the government to drag its feet and possibly refuse to repay the arrears at all.”

“All these amount to over 50 million cedis, and there is also salary arrears of those who have been recruited into the Ghana Education Service, and they have taught for months and have not been paid for those months that they have taught. They also owe us allowances and arrears that ought to be paid, and all these we are not getting any clear indication as to government’s determination to pay these monies, so once we have a situation like this, we are affected by government’s ineptitude to address the issues.”